Higher Order Thining Skills & Critical Thinking

I have been teaching my third grade students to play SET over the last few weeks. SET is a wonderful game for helping students learn critical thinking skills. We are also developing some problem solving skills and puzzles are the best way to do that. We have to organize, classify, and evaluate.

SET is a game of visual perception. The students have to find sets in the cards that are displayed. These sets have to follow very specific rules which makes finding a valid set like solving a huge puzzle.

 

 

 



The rules to SET are really pretty simple. A set consists of three cards that has all the same or all different criteria. Meaning all three cards have to be the same or all three cards have to be different when it comes to the categories of shape, color, number, and shading. In the above set of cards, the one purple lined squiggly, the two purple lined ovals, and the three purple lined diamonds would be considered a set. They are all purple. They are all lined. They are all a different number. They are all a different shape. They meet the criteria of all being the same or being different for each category.
 
You can learn about and work through a practice tutorial online at :

http://www.setgame.com/

Just select the learn to play tab at the top and then select the SET game. I used the tutorial to help teach the students how to play.

I also made a chart for my wall to help the students check their SETs. The students must check each group of cards they selected and make sure it meets the criteria for a set.
 

How to Check Your SET.. 

1. Are they all the same color? Are they all a different color?

2. Are they all the same shape? Are they all a different shape?

3. Are they all the same number? Are they all a different number?

4. Are they all the shaded the same? Are they all shaded differently?







 

Here I have two metal bookcases back to back. I covered with paper and made an extra bulletin board. I keep my Boggle cards and my SET here. The cards and letters are in name tag pouches and have a magnetic strip on the back. The name tag pouches came in a set of 50 and the magnetic strips were also in a set of 50. I think they were originally made to go on the back of business cards. It is working like a charm!

 

We play it every day at the end of the day as we are packing up to go home. I put the twelve cards up on the white board and the students look for and record the sets they find. I keep the cards on display all day so the kids can think about the sets before we get to the end of the day.

Anyway, It is working very well and soon the students will be able to play the game with their classmates as a follow on activity throughout the day. It really is a great way to get the brain going. I set it up at the end of the day; however, we don't check it until the next morning. When they come in the next morning it is still on the board and they have a little extra time to find the ones they were missing.  

It really is a neat way to end our day and start our morning. The kids look forward to making their sets and are very proud of themselves when they find all six. If we are running short on time, they are begging  me to put it up so they can at least start it. They love to solve puzzles!

TGT